The One I Love
by Greg Ambassador of Evil
Summary: Link's quest to win Zelda's affection soon turns into something much larger than anyone could have imagined. T for violence in the latter chapters. Chapter 7 is up.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM.  Nintendo does.  So no suing!!  Hahahaha!  I fart in your general direction, you slimy lawyers!

**The One I Love**

"GO!" the announcer yelled.  The match was finally underway.  It was a three-way fight between Zelda, Bowser, and myself.  We had only one stock though, so it might be somewhat difficult for me to win.

I immediately jumped from my platform to greet my opponent.  He grabbed me and started to bite and claw me simultaneously.  I felt no pain, however, as any feeling I'm capable had already been thieved by my second adversary in the match.  Bowser tossed me aside as Zelda aimed a heel kick (perhaps at me, but at least I was out of the way) and nailed the overgrown turtle square in the jaw.  Bowser flew across the main platform of the arena, which I should be familiar with, as it was where I kicked butt in one of my more recent adventures.

I ran to slash Bowser before the effects of gravity led him to the smaller floating platform not quite under the main platform.  I was too late, but I did manage to hit him with a massive Meteor attack, driving my blade into Bowser's back, somewhat deflected but sending the giant flying to his elimination.  My other adversary seemingly had forgotten about me, but I still held her vision of loveliness in my mind, as it was always there.  I jumped back to the main platform and saw Zelda standing there, as if she no longer wanted to fight.  She started walking toward me in a kind of strut.

"Link…" Zelda stated assuredly.  I sheathed my sword and replaced my shield on my back.  I held out my arms to hold her, but she wasn't quite in range yet.

"Link…" she repeated, walking slower and slower.  She finally stopped, barely at arm's length.  Zelda held out her hand to caress my cheek.  I grasped her hand with both of my own and rubbed my cheek on it.

"Link…Wake up already!" a different voice interrupted my dreams.  I awoke to a small light with wings flying recklessly around my face.  Apparently, it had been nothing but a dream.  I was in my bed in Kokiri forest.  I had moved back in to be surrounded by my childhood friends after my latest adventure.  I think it was my visit to Termina, but these dreams had been clouding my memory of everything else.

"What is it?" I asked my fairy friend, still half asleep.  I thought I had gotten rid of that annoying pest years ago.

"Someone's here to see you!" Navi finally told me.

"Who?" I asked, getting myself some Lon Lon Milk to wake up.

"She's waiting at the ladder!" Navi replied.  I looked up at the entrance to my house.  I quickly drank my Milk and exited my small room.  Good thing I'm not claustrophobic.  I looked down at the base of the ladder and saw a short man in a suit.

"Joe?" I called down, even though it wasn't that much distance.  Joe was the messenger at SSBM.

"Yeah!  You're next match is coming up in a few hours!" the man with the suit called back.

"Alright, I'm coming." I returned to my humble abode to retrieve my weapon, the Master Sword, and my favorite shield.  I had lost the Mirror Shield in a garage sale that Tingle held once, and I've never seen it since.  So I had to use my trusty Hylian Shield.  I jumped the short distance from my house to the ground and followed Joe back to the SSBM HQ.

Well, here's the prologue.  Let me know what you think!  Please!  My first fic, I need to know if you think it's good.  Note: Title is subject to change at my discretion.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM or related titles and characters.  I think Nintendo does though, so talk to them about that.

The One I Love (cont'd) 

            Joe and I made it back to the SSBM HQ just as a fellow swordsman of mine arrived.

            "Hey, Link, howzit going?" Roy asked me.

            "Not much." I replied.  "Do you know if Zelda's here yet?"

            "Nope.  I have seen Sheik running around somewhere though." Roy answered.  "But, you might want to leave her alone for a while."

            "Why?" I asked quizzically.  I pondered the thought for a moment.

            "Marth tells me she's not in the best of moods.  He was just talking to her normally, and he ended up with a black eye." Roy told me.  Strange, she didn't normally beat the crap out of Marth until he starts hitting on her.

            "I'll keep that in mind," I said, "insensitive jerks do tend to get hurt around her."

            "Marth told me he didn't try anything this time.  He just said hi, then she said hi, then he asked what she thought of you, and WHACK!" Roy made the motion of a punch to his face.  I wondered if that was a good thing…?

            "If you say so." I said dully, and continued to the teleporting room to await my next match.  Joe, who I had completely forgotten, led the way, even though I knew the way myself.

            3…2…1…GO!

            My next match was underway.  A one-minute timed match, nothing too difficult.  However, I did wonder why I had been getting the shorter matches lately.  This match though, was a two on two.  My partner was Captain Falcon; we were taking on the pairing of Kirby and Peach.  I got the privilege of playing on my favorite stage too; Final Destination.  The order from left to right was Peach, Kirby, the Captain, and I.  I only had a second to think, as the match had begun.

            I ran to greet my opponents-whichever wanted a piece first-and saw my partner execute a nice Raptor Boost to Kirby.  The pink puff didn't budge too much, however the flames made it seem as if it hurt a lot.  Peach took advantage of Falcon's temporary immobility and nailed him with a Peach Bomber.  The Captain flew towards me, but due to the specifications of the arena, he flew almost right through me, just enough time for me to toss my Boomerang at Peach.  She moved even less than Kirby did earlier.  I received my weapon as it returned to me, and Peach tried another Peach Bomber, this time to me, but I shielded myself from the blow.  It was unnecessary; however, my partner countered her with a Raptor Boost.  It was my turn for the advantage, so I smashed Peach over to where Kirby was; he hadn't done much in the match.

            "Wake up you puff ball!  The match is well underway and you have done nothing!" Peach cursed to Kirby.  Kirby had indeed fallen asleep after Falcon's blow, but was awakened by the Princess's sardonic complaint.  Kirby propped himself up, only to suffer a Falcon Punch from my partner.  He did fly a nice distance, but not quite enough to be eliminated.  The ball of air simply floated back to the platform.  Meanwhile though, I had attempted to smash Peach, only to be denied by her shield.  I chuckled to myself, and let my hook shot loose.  Peach was trapped by it and I dragged her close, following up with a mule kick towards my partner.  Kirby had just moved in range of my blade, and I smashed the bugger back into the air, where he slowly floated back again.  I then noticed that the match had almost come to a close, and between my partner and I, we had no KOs.

            "Punch the puff ball and let's get this over with!" I called to Captain Falcon.  He acknowledged, and let off his assault on Peach that I hadn't been watching.  I was quick to take his place as he readied for another Falcon Punch that, hopefully, would send Kirby to his elimination.  The final ten seconds of the match had come.  Again, I wasn't watching my partner, only praying he could do what he had to do.  I simply had to keep Peach busy.  No problem.  I grabbed her with my hook shot again, and sent her flying in the opposite direction of Falcon.  Might be enough… I thought to myself.  5…4… Last few seconds and I hadn't heard any KOs.  3…2… I'll have to kick his butt later in the locker room if he doesn't succeed.  I turned to see what progress he had made.  1…

            "Falcon Punch!" Captain Falcon called out, finally.  Kirby was nailed square in the face.  He flew pretty fast, but was it enough?

            "GAME!"

            "Well, that was fun." Captain Falcon stated as he and I left the teleporting room.  Peach and Kirby simply slumped in their teleporters, suffering from the exhaustion of a loss.  I laughed as I passed them, knowing they could never defeat me and a good partner like Falcon.

            "So how are you and your woman going?" the Captain joked.  It suddenly hit me; that I still hadn't spoken to Zelda yet.

            "I dunno, haven't seen her all day." I answered.  We both knew I didn't have a girlfriend, or an official one at least.  I do, however, think that Zelda's just been waiting for the aggressive male, namely myself, to muster the courage to ask her out.  I never liked being aggressive when it came to women, though, and I could never recollect having any girlfriends in the past.  I'm sure I did though.  A good-looking hero like myself?  I'm sure I've had at least one…

            "Nintendo to Link, come in Link." Captain Falcon jeered me.  He waved a hand in front of my face.

            "I'm alive, sorry." I replied, and suddenly jolted back to reality (?).  "This is my stop."  I hadn't previously noticed I was already at my locker room.  I seem to be spacing out like that a lot lately…

            "Later, boyo."  Falcon teased.  He walked further down the hall to his own locker room.  I realized I must have been very quiet for the walk down here.  It was quite a ways.  Was I always that quiet?  Falcon never seemed to return me to reality during the walk, so maybe it was normal.  Something tugged at the back of my mind, and I realized that the penguins were stealing my sanity, one by one.  Did I ever think that before?  Did I ever think before?  All these thoughts made no sense to me, currently, so I entered my locker room and began to meditate.

You like, yes?  Sorry for taking so long to make this up; I've been swamped w/ everything else in my life.  And if you're wondering, yes, some of this is based on my own personal experiences.  So stick that in your pipe and smoke it.  Hopefully I won't take as long for the next chapter, but you never know…


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM or related titles and characters.

The One I Love (cont'd) 

I had spent several hours meditating in my personal locker room, slept for about another hour, and decided it would be best to seek out some expert advice.  So I hastily made my way to the Great Yoshi's locker room; it was always open anyway.  The room was similar to mine, but was lit only by several candles seemingly scattered about, and the air was constantly filled with the aroma of unidentifiable incense.  I knelt on both knees before the Great Yoshi, who was apparently meditating.

            "Mmm, a problem you have." Yoshi informed me, never opening his eyes.  "This I have foreseen." It was rumored that Yoshi imitated a fictional character from a universe parallel to our own.

            "Yes, I find myself in a great dilemma," I replied.  "I --"

            "Mmm, of course." Yoshi interrupted me.  "You feel as though you are in love, yes?"  As usual, Yoshi knew what I would've said anyway.

            "Yes, but I don't know how –" I started again.

            "Yes, yes.  How to express your love, you know not." Yoshi interrupted again.  "My advice, you seek." The sage finally opened his eyes, but remained in a meditating position.  I leaned closer to hear his advice.

            "Help me, you can…?" I found myself talking like Yoshi.

            "Mmm, naturally, Pond-Skipper," the dinosaur replied.  "Hmm… The Dark side of the Force clouds my vision…" I had no idea what he was talking about.  Dark side?  Force?  Perhaps references to the one he allegedly imitates?

            "The Force?" I asked aloud.

            "Mmm, much to learn, you have.  Anyway, as I was saying," the Great Yoshi continued. "Past failures are guideposts for future success." Yoshi always gave his advice in riddles, and normally one wouldn't know what he means until that moment in time where it's really needed.

            "What?" I asked anyway.

            "The Great Yoshi has spoken!  Leave now, you will." Yoshi commanded.  I got up to leave, reluctantly, as an official in a black suit barged into the room.

            "Yoshi, you're up!" He called.

            "Yoshi!" the dinosaur replied, reverting from his meditation to his self as seen in the matches; nearly speechless and happy-go-lucky.  Yoshi left the room, with me following closely behind, en route back to my locker room to await my next match.

            I lay back in my bed, arms outstretched over my head.  I thought of Zelda, and tried to compose the conversation I'd have with her the next time I saw her.  Hey, Zelda (or Sheik if need be), how's life treating ya, was my first attempt.  Nah, she's too sophisticated for something like that to work.  Maybe I could just say 'Hi' and see how it goes from there?  That could never work, could it?  On the one hand, I had never tried it, but on the other, I haven't tried much.  I sat up, defeated by my own meditation.  I ran my hands through my hair, just a wee bit frustrated.  I heard a sudden rap on my door.

            "Time for your match, Link!" an unknown voice came from the other side of the door.

            "Yea, yea." I replied, got up, and grabbed the Master Sword and my shield.  I exited my room a bit slower than normal, as I still had a billion thoughts running through my head.  Does Zelda even know I exist?  Of course she does, I've saved her on more than one account.  I found myself contradicting… myself a lot.

            "3…2…1…GO!" an unseen announcer boomed.  I suddenly wondered who it could be… perhaps another nameless official.  I scanned the battlefield, which happened to be one of my favorites; Final Destination.  A two-stock match, free for all, Marth, Ganondorf, I, and Samus, in that order left to right.  I caught Samus firing a missile from the corner of my eye, and put my shield up just in time to avoid damage.  I ran towards her with my blade at the ready.  Just then I felt a monstrous being crashing into my back, followed by a sword slash that sent the huge bulk and I into the air.  I noticed it had been Marth who smashed Ganondorf into me, then sent both of us flying.  Ganondorf landed first, only to suffer a missile from Samus then a half-way charged Shield Breaker from the 'Tiara Boy'.  I averted my attention from the brute to Marth, as I Meteor-smashed the bugger to the other side of the platform.  My sword became firmly implanted in the floor, and I hastily pulled it out.

            "You filthy braggart!" Marth yelled in my direction, as he charged toward me.  I jumped; not knowing Samus fired a fully-charged shot, and watched as Marth flew to the other side again.  I landed and tossed my boomerang at Samus, but somehow Ganondorf jumped in the way, and, being too slow to avoid my weapon, shielded himself from it.  I pulled my bow and an arrow out to fire at Marth, but found he had already gotten too close to me for comfort.  I let the arrow fly the short distance it would, but Marth managed to pull off a Counter that sent me closer to Samus.  I think Ganondorf was flying around somewhere.  Samus grabbed me with her grappling thingy and sent me over the edge to the first elimination of the match.  I reappeared on my disk and took a moment to survey the area.  Ganondorf was grabbed by Samus and thrown to his elimination much like I had been earlier.  Marth was nowhere to be found.  I noticed Samus charging up her weapon, and finally dropped from my disk, but I didn't expect Marth to be right under me, ready to attack.  I flew up a short distance, and tried my Meteor smash on him again.  He Countered me this time, though, and I came in slashing distance of Samus, so I took the chance to smash her to oblivion.  I turned to see my other two adversaries duking it out on their own.  I felt I needed to be a part of that, so I charged toward the nearer of the two, Ganondorf, and executed a nice smash attack, which sent him towards Marth, whom in turn smashed the Gerudo back toward me, so I charged my Smash attack.  When Ganondorf finally came in range I let the attack loose and watched him fly into the abyss.

            "Fighter eliminated!" the same announcer announced.  I noticed Samus and Marth were both on a collision course, with me between the two.  I sidestepped behind Samus when she was close enough, just as she fired another missile at Marth.  He took the full brunt of the blow, and was sent to his first elimination.  I smashed Samus again, aiming more for damage than elimination, and thrust my shield in front of me as she shot at me with an uncharged gun.  My Hylian Shield had a small burn mark from it, but it went away almost immediately.  That's what I really liked about the shield; it always made sure it looked good.  I suddenly had a hunch to sidestep to behind myself, and taking it, found it was necessary to avoid Marth's Smash attack.  Before he could react, Samus sent yet another missile his way.  Again, he took the full force of the projectile, and I followed up with a Smash attack to his back.  He flew towards Samus again, and was just fast enough to make a Counter move to Samus's latest missile attack.  The human in the Chizo suit flew to her final elimination.

            "Fighter eliminated!" the announcer boomed.  Marth turned toward me, with a look of pain on his face.  He then fell to one knee.  I wondered what could be up, but then again I couldn't remember the last time Marth had been physically injured.

            "Aaagh!" He finally yelled, clutching his left knee with both hands, and dropped his blade.  "My knee!"  I immediately dropped my guard and went to help the poor guy out.  I sheathed my sword and shield and offered a helping hand.

            "You, you're truly," Marth started, and he made a face of gratitude as I made a half smile.  "A bloody moron!" His face twisted to that of an ogre, and he grabbed me with both hands and threw me over the edge.  I came back to my senses just quickly enough to execute a mid-air jump back to the platform, but Marth was waiting for me with a Smash attack.  I flew over the edge again to my elimination.

            "Fighter eliminated!"

There's chapter 2 for ya.  Hope you enjoyed it, chapter 3 will be coming up soon enough!


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:  I do not own SSBM or related titles and characters.  That one guy does…you know, the one w/ hair

**The One I Love (cont'd)**

Chapter 3

            Captain Falcon was the one to finally rouse me from my slumber.

            "Wake up, you old fart!"  He kicked me.

            "Ow!  What the," I tried to fend off the strike.  I blinked several times, and stood up.  I found myself in the teleporting room.

            "You've been out cold for the last hour!" Falcon nearly yelled.  Slowly, I remembered the events prior to his arrival.  Ouch, losing really sucks.  Falcon hoisted one of my arms over his shoulder and helped me back to my room.  He finally let me go on my bed, said, "Sweet dreams," and left.  I quickly fell into a somewhat uneasy slumber.

            I found myself back in Hyrule.  I was just in front of the castle, and the bridge was down.  Rain pounded mercilessly on my head and shield.  I looked up, squinting to dispel the rain from my eyes, and noticed it was night.  Somehow, the torches on the castle wall were burning.  I heard the neighing of some great horse within the castle walls, then the sound of thunderous galloping.  I looked, and saw a horse white as snow.  It bore two dark figures.  It ran in my direction.  I tensed up, ready to dodge it, but it was never necessary.  The horse ran past.  On its passing I noticed one of the figures was Zelda, though as a child.  The other was not clear to me, but there was a glint of something metal on his (?) blue-haired head.  The unknown figure threw his head back and let out a laugh comparable to Ganondorf's.  Zelda said nothing, but shrieked the whole way.

            "Zelda!" I finally mustered the energy to call her name, but by that time she was almost out of ear shot, if anywhere near.

            "Zelda!" I yelled again.  This time I was in bed, sitting up and sweating like a pig.  I thought over the dream, trying to decipher it.  Perhaps another visit to Yoshi might clear things up.  No, I was still trying to figure out the meaning of his first riddle.  Maybe going medieval on somebody's butt would make me feel better.  Nah, currently I only wished to be with Zelda.  Ugh.  It will take forever to save enough energy to get up.  I'll just sit here, all by my lonesome, wondering what my love is doing, and all the while beating myself up for not getting up.  Ugh.  I buried my head in my pillow and tried to sleep some more.

            I finally awoke in a small pool of what was apparently drool.  I jerked my head back out of the pool, only to expend most of my energy.  I let my head drop back onto the pillow, being careful not to land in the puddle.

            "I see you're finally awake." A deep feminine voice commented in my direction.  I jumped up to a sitting position and suffered a minor head rush.  I put my hand on my forehead for the few seconds it lasted.  I looked in the direction of the voice.  Impa was sitting at the foot of my bed (yes it is pretty big) cross-legged, and with her back to me.  "Well then, will you get dressed, or shall you converse in your Triforce boxers?"  I thought it was a little drafty.  Impa let out a little chuckle and left my room temporarily, so I could don my favorite green tunic and hat.

            "You can come back in now." I told her, still surprised at her visit.  She promptly did.  I stared at Impa blankly before finally asking, "So, read any good books lately?"  She chuckled again.

            "Well, there was one on how to teach little boys respect for their elders, but it was too informative to be interesting."  Impa replied casually.  "Actually, there is a reason for my visit to your," she looked around, "personal space, shall I say?"

            "Which is…?" I asked, dismayed at her apparent distaste for my room.  Just because the bed took up most of the room didn't mean it was bad, and three or four tunics on the floor didn't mean it was messy.  Maybe she didn't like the assorted posters of Hyrulian girls in bikinis on my walls.

            "For whatever reason, Zelda has taken a special interest in you." Impa answered.  She crossed her arms and shifted most of her weight to one leg.  I perked up at the sound of Zelda's name.

            "Special as in she likes me, or special as in she wants my head on a silver platter?" I had to ask.

            "Gold actually," Impa replied, and laughed.

            "Ah, so she does think pretty highly of me."  I allowed myself an uneasy childish grin, as I wasn't positive she was joking.

            "Truth be told, she asked me to give you this note." Impa revealed her true intentions, and after fumbling a moment in a pocket I never knew she had, handed me an envelope with an official Hylian seal.  I took it with the most decency I could muster, trying to hide the volcano of excitement ready to blow.  No longer able to contain myself, I hastily broke the seal and opened the envelope.  I read the letter to myself.

_            My dearest Link,_

_I realize that you may believe that I have been avoiding you, however my father has forbade me from seeing any men outside of the servants, out of fear of what I may do to the aforementioned men.  However, he shall be leaving Hyrule on a business trip to the planet Corneria to settle a dispute with Fox McCloud and his ilk.  This leaves the castle to me, my dear nurse Impa, and of course the royal chef.  I pray thee, nay, beseech thee, wilt thou comest to my castle for the weekend, perhaps longer?  I have given Impa the honor of giving you this letter, and if you do not receive it promptly, I WILL HAVE HER HEAD ON A GOLDEN PLATTER.  I pray you will say yes, and in such an event Impa will be glad to accompany you to the castle.  Hope to see you soon!  =D_

_                                                                                                                        Zelda_

            After reading this letter, two words popped into my head in flashing neon green lights.  Unable to contain my joy, I blurted them out in front of Impa.

            "SLUMBER PARTY!!"

Well, there's chapter 3 for ya.  Hope you liked it.  I apologize for not posting in like a year or 2, or 3, or 4……but my life was kinda full and w/o time for fics while I had a girlfriend, and then for the last 2 or 3 months I've been depressed over the fact that there is no one I know of that can come close to my intelligence, and the fact she broke up w/ me.  O.o  I hope to be working on the 4th (perhaps even final) chapter soon, and post it promptly.  L8rz


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Even though it's been a couple years, I still don't own SSBM or related titles and characters.

**The One I Love**

Chapter 4

I lay in my bed, fully awake, staring at the ceiling as I tried to organize my thoughts. In less than a week, I would be spending quality time with my favorite girl in Hyrule. And for once, "quality time" didn't mean I was saving her from Ganondorf in one form or another. Then another thought popped into my head: Do I even have the weekend off? I should probably find my boss and ask him about that. I usually did have the weekends off, spending them among my childhood friends in Kokiri Forest. It was shortly after this last thought that Roy barged into my room, panting from near exhaustion.

"You've gotta come see this!" were the first words out of his mouth.

"What is it?" I asked. I had full intention of going; Roy seemed pretty excited about it.

"I can't explain it without doubling over laughing, man. You've gotta see it for yourself!" Apparently, the mere thought of what it was caused him to have a laughing fit. "Come on!"

"Alright, fine." I responded. I grabbed the closest red tunic I could find - I'd be surprised if this didn't involve something burning - and followed him.

Roy eventually led me to the lounge room, where every Smash Brother had a personal chair and could just sit with everyone else and chat, if we ever felt the need. It was usually the arena when heated discussions turned physical.

Several of the chairs were overturned, charred, or both. Falco could be seen peeking over his overturned chair on the other side of the room. He shuddered and hid every time one of the two present contestants fired off an attack. This particular fight was between Pichu and Pikachu.

"Isn't this hilarious?" Roy joked, slapping me on the back. "It's one stupid rodent fighting the other stupid rodent! It's a dream come true for human folk!" He continued laughing as I tried to assess the situation.

Mewtwo's head popped out from behind a chair, saw a lapse in the electric mice's attacks, and made a break for the door. Falco took too long before the next "Piiii!" followed by a thunderclap to escape. I grabbed Mewtwo by the tail on his way out to extricate some answers.

"So what's this one about?" I asked.

"Pichu received a couple fan mails that all said he was cuter than Pikachu, and he was rubbing it in Pikachu's face." Mewtwo answered, suddenly regaining the sinister composure he usually wore.

"Alright, thanks." I dully acknowledged. Fortunately, I had an idea for this situation a while back, and had been waiting for an opportunity to try it. "Get ready to run, Falco!" I called.

In one swift motion, I unsheathed my Master Sword and flung it into the middle of the clashing rodents. As it flew through the air, it acted as a lightning rod to both the Pokemons' lightning attacks. Falco noticed this and made a successful run for the doorway and into the hall toward his personal room, shouting his thanks over his shoulder.

"Awesome move, man!" Roy exclaimed, slapping me again on the back. "Where'd you learn a move like that?"

"When you're around a bunch of children all day, you learn how to throw things." I replied despondently.

"But that was so awesome! I'm gonna go tell Marth about it, he's gonna be so psyched!" Roy announced and ran off. I remained in the doorway, contemplating the situation. I hadn't thought out that plan all the way.

How am I supposed to get my sword back now?

About an hour later the two rodents finally tuckered each other out and I was able to retrieve my blade in relative safety. Having done so, I returned to my room to find a note on my door. It read:

_Link:  
I came by earlier to give you a present, but you weren't here, so I guess you'll have to wait until I see you this weekend. Toodles. By the way, and don't tell her, but I think Impa's getting fat. What do you think?  
Zelda_

A present for me? Sweet! I wonder what kind of present she has for me? I hope it's shiny. With that pleasant thought in my head, I plopped down on my bed for a brief nap.

And I dreamed.

It was pouring rain in the dead of night in the Hylian Fields where I was. Nearby, two shadowy figures conversed. One was a monster of a man; I identified him as Ganondorf. The other, in addition to having its back to me, was much shorter and slimmer, but too much of a shadow to identify. There was a feminine quality about the smaller person, but that thought was dispelled when he spoke.

"What are the conditions of you giving me this newfound power?" the short one asked.

"Simple. Get rid of my greatest nemesis, and we can rule Hyrule together, for all eternity." Ganondorf replied. "Kill him by any means necessary."

"Any means necessary?" the smaller man echoed. "As in, anything goes?"

"Yes." Ganondorf answered, with visible irritation. "He has been a thorn in my side for as long as I can remember. Just don't forget he is a very formidable opponent. He has single-handedly bested both my legions and myself on more than one occasion."

"So I'll need all the power I can get my hands on."

"Naturally. Any more questions?"

"Just one: do you have any final requests?" the shorter man finished his sentence by placing a hand on Ganondorf's chest. Ganondorf froze in fear.

"What? You can't do this to me! I created you!" Ganondorf pleaded.

"You said 'any means necessary'. Your power was not enough to beat him yourself, but adding it to my own would certainly boost my chances, would it not?" the shorter man explained. "Besides, now that you've shown me the technique, I have no further use for you." Ganondorf's face turned into a mask of both hatred and fear as the smaller man plunged his hand into Ganondorf's chest in a cloud of purple energy.

Ganondorf screamed in agony as his life was forcibly taken from his body, and collapsed into a dry heap of larger-than-average human bones. Ganondorf's murderer kept his hand where it was once implanted into the larger man's chest for a moment, then retracted it, turning his palm inward to look at it. He chuckled to himself. Without so much as shifting his feet, he whispered, barely audibly:

"You're next."


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM or related titles and characters.

**The One I Love  
**Chapter 5

I awoke in a cold sweat. I'm next? What could that mean? Who was the short man? Why did he turn on Ganondorf like that? I was still trying to organize my thoughts when I heard my name booming on the intercom in my room.

"Link! I repeat, Link! Please report to the teleporting room immediately for your next match! Tardiness will result in pay deduction and unpaid overtime!" the intercom yelled at me. Overtime? Not this week! I grabbed my sword and shield and bolted for the teleporting room.

When I got to the teleporting room, I found Captain Falcon and Roy awaiting their cue to enter teleporting machines.

"Well, there _you _are." Roy commented. "But my partner hasn't shown up yet. It's supposed to be a two-on-two match, but if Ganondorf never shows up…"

"Ganondorf is supposed to be your partner?" I asked. Perhaps the dream was more than a dream.

"Yea. It's not like him to pass up a chance to kick your sorry butt." Roy joked. The half-smile faded almost immediately. "I take it you haven't seen him?"

"No…" I replied. I didn't know how an absent Smash Brother would affect the match. Since the match would have to go on anyway, they would probably find a replacement, or change the rules of the match. As if on cue, Luigi walked into the room and took his place on a teleporting machine.

"Let's-a go!" Luigi said cheerfully. And we went.

"3...2...1...GO!" the unnamed announcer blared. This match's arena was a page out of Yoshi's Story. Not my favorite arena, but still a breath of fresh air from Final Destination. At least I might get a chance at some fruit here. And it was only a two-stock match, so it shouldn't take too long.

I put my shield up barely in time to avoid being kicked by the man in a green plumber's suit. I responded with my hook shot and kicked him behind me, where Roy conveniently was. The impact sent Roy flying over the edge of the arena, but he managed to jump onto one of the clouds surrounding the main platform. Captain Falcon waited for Roy's return attempt as I chased Luigi around the main platform, tossing bombs and arrows his way. I was finally able to smash him on the top platform and sent him soaring into the next screen. One stock down.

Roy managed to counter Falcon's cornering attempt, but I capitalized and drove my sword into his skull with a well-placed meteor attack that eliminated him. Falcon and I now had both our opponents at a one-stock advantage. Luigi, fresh off his return platform, spun himself and hit me with a decent meteor attack. I hardly budged, but I did smash him in return.

Roy came out of nowhere and smashed me into oblivion. I managed to let loose one bomb before losing a life, but it hardly hit Luigi for minimal damage. Fortunately, Captain Falcon seized the opportunity to Falcon Punch the green plumber into elimination. Roy ran up beside Falcon, but his smash attempt was foiled by Falcon's shield.

I'll never stop liking the feeling of floating when I return from oblivion, or the temporary invincibility that follows. But back to fighting. I immediately threw a bomb at the incoming Roy and laughed as he fell back. He recovered quickly and narrowly avoided a Falcon Kick that sent my teammate over the edge. As he tried to recover, Roy smashed him offstage and into the loss of his first stock. I responded with a quick meteor attack that sent Roy across the stage. I charged at him and barely missed my hookshot attempt as he jumped over me.

Roy threw me against the ground and slashed me to the other side of the platform. Captain Falcon nailed Roy this time with a Falcon Kick that sent the red-haired youth back to the cloud that saved him earlier in the match. He jumped back to the main platform and Countered both mine and Captain Falcon's smash attacks, sending us both sliding backwards.

I recovered and hopped up to the top platform as Falcon charged Roy beneath me. Roy countered the Captain with a smash attack that sent the racer to his elimination. As he did, however, I dropped in from above with a meteor attack that earned Falcon and I victory of the match.

"Y'know, we make a pretty good team." Captain Falcon mentioned to me as we left the teleporting room. A few paid interns fetched the bodies of our exhausted opponents.

"Yea…" I replied. Ganondorf's absence still bugged me. "So what do you think happened to Ganondorf?"

"I don't know, man." Captain Falcon responded. "Your guess is as good as mine."

I just nodded in agreement. I think my guess might be better than yours, I thought.

A couple dreamless nights later, I found myself at the gates of Hyrule Castle again. This time I was neither a child nor unwelcome. The gate guard acknowledged my arrival with a brief nod and opened the gates for me. I nodded in response and headed for the castle. As I approached, I was greeted by Impa.

"It's about time you arrived. Zelda was getting worried." Impa said with a hint of suspicion.

"Zelda was right," I responded to a narrowed-eyed Impa. "You are getting a little chubby around the waistline." I flashed a toothy grin and chuckled. Impa stared at me for a moment and turned to walk into the castle.

"This way." Impa said. I happily followed.

Impa led me down a great hallway lined with several large paintings that seemed to be ordered in sequence.

"Hey Impa," I called as I stopped to look at a painting of the castle enveloped in a purple cloud. Impa stopped. "Was this when Ganondorf took over Hyrule?" Impa walked back several steps and took note of the painting in question.

"No." Impa calmly stated. "It's dated eons before Ganondorf was even born." She turned to continue walking.

"Mind explaining it a little bit to me?" I curiously asked. Impa stopped and shrugged her shoulders. She turned around to face me.

"I don't know much about it, only what I've heard in stories from Zelda and her father." Impa began. "Long before the Gerudo tribe was even a thought, there was an entity of great evil that terrorized all of Hyrule. If anyone were ever to see it, it would only be in the form of a purple cloud. The only ones who ever saw its true form were the people who eventually defeated it. It took a group of ten of Hyrule's greatest warriors to defeat it. Of those ten, Zelda's great-great-great grandfather was the only survivor."

"Neat story." I interrupted. Impa gave me an icy glare.

"Do you want to hear the rest or not?" she asked impatiently. I nodded. "Anyway, as the entity had already killed the entire royal family, the lone survivor was crowned king. His first decree would be to never speak the entity's name, lest it be summoned and return to wreak havoc on Hyrule. That decree is still in effect, and the name has been allegedly lost to the ages."

"So Ganondorf never comes into this story?" I asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. One of the entity's supposed abilities was to pass its own power on. But since Ganondorf was born ages after the evil was banished, we all figured Ganondorf's power was all of his own accord." I stared at the painting a moment longer before turning my attention to a nearby painting.

"How about that one?" I asked.

"Oh…" Impa began, seemingly exasperated this time. "Zelda's father thought it would be cute to have a painting of our allies from the Mushroom Kingdom nearby."

"Ah." I noted. The contrast between the painting of Mario and friends and the one of the great evil was striking. I couldn't help but feel the cloud looked familiar though.

When I was finally able to pull my eyes away from the clouded painting, I noticed one of the castle guards speaking to Impa in an inaudible whisper. Impa gave a shocked look before turning to me.

"It would seem…" she started, then paused. "that the king of Hyrule is unwell at the present time. If you wished to speak to him, now is not a good time." Impa couldn't fend off the worried look, hard as she tried. "Zelda, however, is eager to see you." Impa and I continued walking down the hall.

We finally came to a stop in front of a normal-sized doorway covered only by a blue drape with the picture of the Triforce in the middle. Impa motioned for me to enter, and I did.

The modest doorway simply did not do the room justice. Grand would be a bit of an understatement. The walls were virtually lined with countless dressers and armoires, each covered in various jewelries, mirrors, and trophies. Some even had small chests on top that reminded me of my adventuring days. One had a particularly large vanity mirror mounted on top. Why Zelda would need so much storage space remained a mystery to me, but my eyes eventually drew themselves toward the huge canopy bed in the middle of the room. It was a real fancy bed littered with blankets and pillows, each with designs more ornate than the last. I noticed several curtains at the top of the bed that could be drawn over the bed. The only more impressive object in the room was the object of my affection, who calmly stood by the bed with a faint smile on her face.

"It's so good of you to come, Link." Zelda said in that harmonious voice that would make any man swoon.

"It's good to see you, Princess." I replied.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I _still_ don't own SSBM, LoZ, or related titles and characters. I'm just not cool enough yet.

**The One I Love**

Chapter 6

Zelda and I talked for hours. Or rather, I talked for hours. She constantly asked me about all the trials and tribulations I had overcome in the past, whether it was part of saving her from Ganondorf the umpteenth time or my adventures in worlds outside of Hyrule. I was certainly curious about her present thoughts, but every time I asked she responded with another question about one adventure or another. My only worry was that she seemed preoccupied with something as I answered her questions.

"…and that's how I defeated Volvagia, the fire dragon." I concluded another of my long-winded tales. Zelda continued staring into space. I had to nudge her shoulder to elicit any kind of response.

"That's really something, Link." Zelda finally answered in her melodic voice. "Tell me again how you obtained the Biggoron's sword. Please?" She added the please only as an afterthought after I didn't immediately respond.

"Zelda, I have a strange feeling you didn't invite me over just to talk story." I responded. "Is there something bothering you?" Zelda gave me a look as if she was about to cry.

"Impa said not to say anything, but I think I can trust you, if no one else," Zelda replied, holding back tears. "I guess I'll start from the beginning: Something weird has been going on in Hyrule. It started with Ganondorf's disappearance several nights ago. Our contact within the Gerudos gave us the information. Then, one by one, the rest of the Gerudos went missing. They just vanished. Poof. Disappeared. Sadly, this included our contact. When we sent another scout out, the entire area was deserted. Not even the killer cabbages remained." Zelda was finding it easier to hold back the tears as she went on.

I thought those annoying things were invincible, I thought to myself.

"Over the next few days, the residents of both Zora's Falls and Kakariko Village suffered the same fate. As of now, the only remaining people in Hyrule are within the castle walls and in Kokiri Forest. Even now, the inhabitants of the forest are…" Zelda continued, sniffing during that last line. My own expression grew grave as well, as her eyes began welling up with tears again. "And then, last night…my own father…" Zelda broke down in tears and hugged me tightly. I reciprocated.

"I'm so sorry…" I said, then thought for a moment. "Why didn't Impa want me to know about this anomaly?"

"Because…" Zelda tried calming herself down. "We got a message the night after Ganondorf's appearance that you shouldn't interfere, or else whoever it is that's doing this…would get you too!" Zelda began sobbing again.

"It'll be okay…" I said, rubbing her back as we held each other close. I'd dreamed of holding her this close, but the circumstances were always happier ones in the dreams. "I'm sure I've beaten worse than whomever is doing this." That line made me think of the dream I had had a few nights prior. The man who had threatened me in the dream. I wonder if he had anything to do with this…?

Zelda continued crying in my arms until she fell asleep, at which point I tucked her into her bed. I then got up and sat back down on a stool next to her bed. I unsheathed my Master Sword and held it at the ready position.

"I'll protect you if it's the last thing I do." I whispered.

Several hours later, not far from the wee hours of the morning, I was close to dozing off. I kept myself awake all night, but the only adversary I was fending off was sleep. It wasn't until it surrounded me that I noticed a purplish-black cloud seeping into Zelda's room. I immediately stood to try staving it off, but, just as quickly, the cloud enveloped me. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a young-looking, lithe man enter the room.

I awoke in a groggy daze to Zelda's sun-lit room. I quickly remembered what had transpired the night before, and yelled Zelda's name as I scanned the room. Save for an unkempt bed, there was no sign of Zelda or the young man I saw. Whoever that guy was, I was going to make him pay for this.

I stormed my way out of the castle and met Impa at the front gate.

"You might need this," she said impassively, and handed me the Ocarina of Time. While time-travel was expressly forbidden, lest anyone cause a repeat of Ganondorf's domination, the Ocarina still had its uses. I began to play Epona's Song. "Where to first?" Impa asked. Even though she hadn't wanted Zelda to tell me what was going on, Impa knew Zelda would eventually spill the beans.

"Zelda said the first disappearance was Ganondorf and the Gerudos," I explained, as Epona arrived. "So that's my first stop." I mounted my horse.

"Good speed to you, then." Impa waved goodbye as Epona and I sped off toward Gerudo Valley.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM, LoZ or even related titles and characters. Go figure.

**The One I Love  
**Chapter 7

The ride was an uneventful one. The entirety of the Hyrule Plains seemed to have suffered the same vanishing fate Zelda described. There were not even any of the annoying killer cabbages. This both relieved and worried me. When I arrived at the broken bridge separating the Valley from the Plains, Epona stopped and refused to go further.

"It's okay, Epona. You don't need to go any further." I said to soothe the horse. When that didn't calm her down, I added: "Don't worry. I'll come back safely." I dismounted and allowed Epona to leave this place.

She wasn't the only one who felt the evil aura surrounding the valley; I felt the impending sense of dread as well. Shaking the feeling off, I pulled out my Longshot and catapulted myself across the bridge.

The valley was deserted, as Zelda had described. The only signs of even former occupancy I could see were arrow targets that seemed recently used - arrows were still stuck in them. Whoever had shot them there, apparently had pretty good aim. I took a mental note of it as I continued to explore the encampment.

Despite the apparent desertion of the Gerudo Fortress, I could not help but feel I was being watched. I felt that who - or what - ever it was, it was getting closer. It was behind me! I turned.

No, to my left! I turned again. Nothing. Behind me again! Another about face. Again, nothing. I spun in another circle before I finally saw what I had feared. The same black cloud from last night.

It was coming from the left. No, the right! No, both ways! I backed up as the clouds converged on a spot several yards in front of me. The cloud grew upwards into the shape of a monster of a man. In seconds, the cloud became a very familiar figure.

"Hahaha…long time no see, Link." Ganondorf said, and smirked.

"You!" I yelled, readying my Master Sword and Hylian Shield. "You're behind all this!" Ganondorf replied with a thoughtful look first, then a devious smile.

"I wish I was behind this," he finally answered. "It took me years to conquer this plane without your meddling, and _he _waltzes in here and dominates in a matter of weeks. It's really quite admirable…" Ganondorf laughed.

"If you're not behind this, then who is?" I asked, my anger rising. "Who was the short man you were with?" Ganondorf simply laughed. "Answer me!" I yelled.

Ganondorf ceased laughing a moment, long enough to say, "You don't get it, do you? You've lost. Soon enough, my master is going to do to your precious little princess the same thing he did to me." Ganondorf looked almost sympathetic for a second, before returning to his sardonic smile and continuing. "It won't be long now. Then, it will be a matter of time before he gets his hands on the _third _piece of the Triforce!" He laughed, more evilly and wholeheartedly this time. I glared at him.

"Where is she?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. Ganondorf looked up from his cackling and sneered.

"You'll have to beat me first." the Gerudo replied. Without so much as glancing aside, he added: "Gerudos!" I looked to the fortress and noticed tens of Gerudo soldiers with loaded bows pointing at me from the safety of the Fortress walls. "Kill him." At least 70 arrows were let loose on that command, all aimed straight at me. Ganondorf continued to look at me impassively.

My first reaction was to put my shield between me and the archers. My second reaction was brandishing my sword and charging toward Ganondorf, who nimbly jumped high into the air and levitated. By now several arrows had been deflected by my shield. Unfortunately for me, some of the arrows the Gerudos were using were enchanted with ice magic, and consequently froze my shield. Before I could drop it, a well placed fire arrow shattered the entire shield, leaving me virtually defenseless.

I saw no shelter anywhere near. I was left by myself, deflecting arrows left and right, growing more and more tired by the second. And all the while, Ganondorf, who seemed to be different from the Ganondorf I knew and hated, was lifting himself with magic and laughing at me. Magic? That's it!

I searched my memory for the spell I thought of. I got it after a second, and summoned up all the magic power I had in my body. This just might be the doozy of a spell I needed.

"Din's Fire!" I yelled, plunging my sword into the sand of the valley. A dome of fiery death erupted from my body, growing larger and larger until it consumed the entire valley, enveloping the Gerudos and the shadow Ganondorf in a whirlwind of fire. I couldn't keep the spell going for long; my magic power was sapped seconds after I began the spell. Physically, I was nearly exhausted, a problem soon remedied by a bottle of LonLon milk. Piece of cake, I thought.

As I was replacing the bottle in my tunic, I noticed Ganondorf on a slow descent back to the ground. His clothes were tattered and ruined, but the face he wore was full of malice and a pain I hoped never to comprehend. I could take on a weakened Ganondorf even without my shield. The Master Sword was all I needed.

"You!" Ganondorf shouted. "You have made a mockery of me for the last time! This was supposed to be great victory for me…one that would have made me my master's trusted right-hand man! My soldiers - my brethren - were supposed to be there right along with me! But now, now…" Ganondorf's expression turned to even more malice I thought possible. His body began to emit a purple-black aura that looked familiar. He was summoning his own magic power for something big.

Out of nothingness, Ganondorf pulled a long black spear. The tip of his spear reminded me of my

Biggoron's Sword.

"Now…you die!" Ganondorf charged toward me, spear at my chest level. I dodged with relative ease and responded with a slash through his midsection. Ganondorf's momentum let him charge a few feet further, before his torso separated from his legs and fell to the ground.

"Guh…" Ganondorf muttered.

Brushing some dirt off my tunic, I walked over to my opponent's upper body. "So, you in a talking mood now?" I asked. Ganondorf's only reply was a blank stare. Sometimes I do things _too _efficiently. I sighed and looked up. This was my only lead; I wasn't sure where to turn from here.

As if on cue, more of the black cloud appeared several yards from where I stood. This time, though, it appeared out of nothing and concentrated on a small spot that grew larger until it was about Ganondorf's size. It wasn't so much a human form this time as a portal.

"If you want to know the answer…" Ganondorf's voice made me jump. I turned back to his corpse. "Enter into my master's realm…hahaha…" I looked at the portal, then back at Ganondorf. Well, it's not like I have any other leads.

I walked up to the Ganondorf-sized circle of smoke, mentally prepared myself for the worst, and stepped through.


End file.
